Fundraising interview tips: How to use the STAR method
“Give me an example of a time when you faced a problem at work. How did you handle it?”
“Describe a time when you had to step up and demonstrate leadership skills.”
“Tell me about a time you made a mistake and wish you’d handled it differently.”
You’ve probably been asked one (or more) of these questions in a job interview.
They’re examples of behavioural interview questions, and they’re designed to get candidates to share examples of situations where they’ve used their soft skills to navigate difficult situations.
If you’re not prepared for a behavioural question, it can be tricky to think of an example on the spot and share it as an easy-to-follow anecdote with a clear takeaway.
However, there’s a handy technique to help you structure your answer. Enter the STAR method.
Here’s the lowdown.
What’s the STAR method?
The STAR method is a technique used to answer competency-based interview questions in a structured manner.
STAR stands for:
(S) Situation: What’s the context? Describe the situation/background
(T) Task: Talk about the task you had to complete and the challenges you faced
(A) Action: How did you fix the situation? Describe the process and steps you took to resolve it
(R) Results: What was the outcome? If possible, use numbers and/or hard data to back up your answer
When would you use the STAR method?
The STAR method can be used to answer behavioural interview questions (or any question where you need to tell a story).
These questions typically start with:
Tell me about a time when
What do you do when
Have you ever
Give me an example of
Describe a situation where
When it comes to answering these sorts of questions, you not only need an example to share; you need to share the details clearly and concisely.
This is what the STAR interview method enables you to do.
Example
Let’s look at how you can apply the STAR method to a common behavioural interview question.
“Tell me about a time when you had to handle an unexpected challenge.”
Situation
Begin by setting the scene.
The key here is to avoid adding unnecessary details. Focus on what’s relevant to your story.
“Whilst working as a Fundraising Officer for Charity X, I was preparing a presentation for a conference.
A few hours before the event, one of our guest speakers had to unexpectedly cancel due to an emergency. There was now a 45-minute gap in the schedule I had to fix.”
Task
This part of the answer can easily get confused with the “action” portion of the response. But this piece is about your responsibilities in the scenario, including any objectives you were set.
“As the senior events officer in our team of three, it was my responsibility to ensure the slots were filled and the presentation ran seamlessly - and on time.”
Action
Now the interviewer knows what you set out to accomlish, it’s time to explain what you did.
What steps did you take to reach your goal or solve the problem?
“It was too late to bring an external speaker in, so I decided the next best thing was to fill the slot with our CEO. I spent an hour working with him one-on-one, helping him transform his decade’s worth of experience into a 45-minute speech.”
Result
What was the outcome? Explain how you dealt with the situation and what you learned from the experience.
Include concrete numbers where possible.
“Due to the limited amount of time we had to prepare, the CEO’s speech ended up being 30 minutes long. I suggested he took questions from the audience for the remainder of the slot and let him know when the 45 minutes were up.
As a result, the event stayed on track and ran smoothly.”
Ready for a STAR interview?
Bagged a fundraising interview and want some help with your prep? We can help. Contact us on 0203 750 3111 or info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.